Mop wedding
Encyclopedia
Mop weddings, or mop marriages, were once a traditional marriage
method, mainly in England
. It is presumed that, like the earliest Mop Fair
s where they were celebrated, they date back to the 13th or 14th century, though it is possible that the tradition originated in pagan
practices.
Evidence from the literature of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries suggests that domestic servants, when they had reached marriageable age, would meet and court at successive mop fairs and, if they then chose to marry, would subsequently pay some local personage in a position of authority, such as the local magistrate
, to preside over their common-law
wedding in a public venue such as the market-place or the market-cross. The couple would exchange vows before each took hold of one end of a household mop to indicate that they took each other in marriage. Such a couple might then be referred to as having married 'over the mop'. It has been suggested that, in a practice analogous to jumping backwards over a broomstick in order to end a Welsh broomstick wedding
, a couple married in a mop wedding could subsequently divorce
one another by publicly letting go of a mop and renouncing their vows.
The irregular marriage practice of mop weddings was ended by the Marriage Act 1753
, which put marriage on a statutory basis for the first time in England and Wales, although the tradition endured in Scotland and has more recently been included as an element in neo-pagan
marriage ceremonies. Even today, some cultures still use the mop ceremony, though it usually performed only in addition to the traditional ceremony. The mop ceremony is sometimes still done among Cajun
s in Louisiana
as well as in the Welsh speaking
community in Patagonia
.
in Well End
, Borehamwood
, Hertfordshire
is that it commemorates mop and broomstick weddings which once took place there. (An alternative explanation, that the name commemorates the weaponry of choice in a fight between villagers and gypsy travellers, has also been put forward.)
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
method, mainly in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is presumed that, like the earliest Mop Fair
Mop Fair
Mop Fairs are a feature of many English towns and are traditionally held on or around "Old Michaelmas Day". They originated as a Hiring fair and their history dates back some 600 to 700 years.-History:...
s where they were celebrated, they date back to the 13th or 14th century, though it is possible that the tradition originated in pagan
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
practices.
Evidence from the literature of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries suggests that domestic servants, when they had reached marriageable age, would meet and court at successive mop fairs and, if they then chose to marry, would subsequently pay some local personage in a position of authority, such as the local magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
, to preside over their common-law
Common-law marriage
Common-law marriage, sometimes called sui juris marriage, informal marriage or marriage by habit and repute, is a form of interpersonal status that is legally recognized in limited jurisdictions as a marriage even though no legally recognized marriage ceremony is performed or civil marriage...
wedding in a public venue such as the market-place or the market-cross. The couple would exchange vows before each took hold of one end of a household mop to indicate that they took each other in marriage. Such a couple might then be referred to as having married 'over the mop'. It has been suggested that, in a practice analogous to jumping backwards over a broomstick in order to end a Welsh broomstick wedding
Jumping the broom
Jumping the broom is a phrase and custom relating to wedding ceremonies in different cultural traditions: "many diverse cultures, those of Africa − Europe including Scotland, Hungary and Gypsy culture – include brooms at wedding rituals." It is particularly associated with the Romani gypsy people...
, a couple married in a mop wedding could subsequently divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
one another by publicly letting go of a mop and renouncing their vows.
The irregular marriage practice of mop weddings was ended by the Marriage Act 1753
Marriage Act 1753
The Marriage Act 1753, full title "An Act for the Better Preventing of Clandestine Marriage", popularly known as Lord Hardwicke's Marriage Act , was the first statutory legislation in England and Wales to require a formal ceremony of marriage. It came into force on 25 March 1754...
, which put marriage on a statutory basis for the first time in England and Wales, although the tradition endured in Scotland and has more recently been included as an element in neo-pagan
Neopaganism
Neopaganism is an umbrella term used to identify a wide variety of modern religious movements, particularly those influenced by or claiming to be derived from the various pagan beliefs of pre-modern Europe...
marriage ceremonies. Even today, some cultures still use the mop ceremony, though it usually performed only in addition to the traditional ceremony. The mop ceremony is sometimes still done among Cajun
Cajun
Cajuns are an ethnic group mainly living in the U.S. state of Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles...
s in Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
as well as in the Welsh speaking
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
community in Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
.
In popular culture
One explanation for the unique name of the Mops & Brooms public housePublic house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
in Well End
Well End, Hertfordshire
Well End is a village which lies on the edge of Borehamwood, Hertfordshire.It has a notable pub, the Mops and Brooms, reputedly the site of a battle between travellers and village folk, although another explanation, that it commemorates mop weddings and broomstick weddings which once took place...
, Borehamwood
Borehamwood
-Film industry:Since the 1920s, the town has been home to several film studios and many shots of its streets are included in final cuts of 20th century British films. This earned it the nickname of the "British Hollywood"...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
is that it commemorates mop and broomstick weddings which once took place there. (An alternative explanation, that the name commemorates the weaponry of choice in a fight between villagers and gypsy travellers, has also been put forward.)